Thursday, October 17, 2013

What's The Best Way To Obtain Individuals To Quit Smoking

Addiction to nicotine eventually can cause cancer, emphysema and stroke. Smoking leads to cosmetic problems, such as wrinkles or yellowed teeth, and can adversely affect the health of other people through secondhand smoke. There is no magic solution to help people stop smoking. Friends and family often wonder about the most effective way to get people to stop smoking. The most effective way to encourage someone to give up the habit is a combination of education, medication and support; but even with this combination of treatment methods, the smoker has to have the desire to stop.

Education

Education can convince a smoker that there are health risks to smoking. This is an especially effective technique with teenagers. Educational materials about smoking and its direct relationship to lung cancer accompanied by photographs of lungs polluted by cigarette smoke are particularly effective. Photos of smoking's impact to skin and teeth are another very effective way to educate a person about the importance smoking cessation. Often, people erroneously think that it is useless to quit after years of smoking. The Surgeon General's 1990 Report on smoking, as the American Cancer Society notes, states that 10 years after quitting, the rate of death from lung cancer for a person who quit smoking is about half the rate of lung cancer for people who continue smoking throughout their lives. Smokers should learn that they do not have to wait 10 years for their bodies to receive benefits; the Surgeon General's 1990 Report also shows that as soon as 12 hours after quitting, carbon monoxide levels stabilize to normal levels.

Medication or Nicotine Replacement

Once a smoker has received education about the risks of nicotine, she may be ready to try quitting. One method that has helped smokers successfully quit is nicotine-replacement therapy. With this therapy, nicotine patches are put on the body or nicotine gum is chewed to help the smoker's body gradually adjust to decreasing amounts of nicotine. Physicians also will prescribe medication to smokers that can help tremendously in the battle to quit cigarette smoking.

Support

Help smokers avoid places where they will be tempted to pick up cigarettes. Encourage them to replace their cigarette smoking with healthy activities such as walking to reduce stress and provide a replacement for the missing action. Jointly attending support groups is another way to partner with someone who is trying to stop smoking. Celebrating when a smoker has stopped even for short amount of time is another demonstration of support. Reminding them why they made the decision to stop in the first place will go a long way toward helping them quit once and for all.

No Magic Pullet

There is no single, magic pill that will immediately cause someone to go from being a smoker to becoming a non-smoker. It takes work to end a habit like smoking because the body has become dependent upon it. In addition to a smoker desiring to stop once and for all, education, medical assistance and support are all necessary components of effectively helping someone to stop smoking.

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